Meeting Don

My mom is here in Las Vegas! And I don't mean for a long visit. I'm so happy to say she has moved here and lives literally two minutes away or less! Her apartment is temporary as we wait on banks to start foreclosing again so we can look at houses. But it was such an answer to prayers that, with only weeks of her arrival in Las Vegas, we were hooked up with a 2-bedroom, 2 bath apapartment in our ward that is spacious and affordable, and most importantly, is only month-to-month because of my connection to the previous tenants. It's so perfect to buy us some time AND give my mom and Don their own place right away.

 
Speaking of Don, my mom has been married to this man since January 2012 but we hadn't met him yet. To save me some time, I'll post some of my first email to the family about meeting him:

Monday, June 24
 

 

Well, like I said in my text, they made it to las Vegas safe and sound this afternoon... I saw them from a short distance while waiting for them in baggage claim. At Pawnee's request, I put her on speaker phone while I hurried over to hug Khun Mae, (*thats the Thai word for "mom") then handed the phone to her so Pawn could be in on the celebration (always the life of the party, right Pawn!), and that allowed me to "wai" Don -- to which he "wai"ed back -- and then I gave him a hug, which I think took him by surprise! But he returned the quick hug.

 

Khun Mae was still crying on the phone with Pawn a little bit, (as was Pawn, if I heard correctly through the phone), and then she hung up the phone. All of us were smiling and saying, "I can't believe you're/we're here!". 

 

On the drive home, Khun Mae pointed out the big casinos as we passed the strips and I was surprised when Don read out loud, "Monte Carlo". Apparently, he can read English pretty well! and he knows more English than I anticipated. So I practiced a bit of my broken Thai, and he practiced his little bit of English while Khun Mae translated for the both of us and it was great!

 

At home, Aiya and Aaron woke shortly from their naps . . . and Aiya was ecstatic to see "Yai", demanding that she chase her around the house. Poor Khun Mae, whose jet lag was kicking in but who was determined not to disappoint! Don was also such a natural with both Aiya and Aaron, and Aiyana took to him after just a couple minutes, calling him "Khun Don" and letting him put on her shoes and play with her. Aaron was all smiles at him, also.

 

First impressions of Don: He has a very kind spirit! His demeanor is calm and relaxed, and he didn't appear uncomfortable with the language barrier. He likes to practice words and isn't afraid to try to pronounce them. He is quiet, but watching him with Khun Mae, they have such a playful relationship! It's kinda cute to see (and not in the "young teenagers in love" annoying kind of way). He has a sense of humor and they both laugh a lot together, and he doesn't mind Khun Mae teasing him. Their adopted motto went something like this:

 

Khun Mae said, "Together we . . ."

Don: "survive"

Khun Mae continued, "Leave me . . ."

Don finished, "you die."

 

That made me laugh!

 

They're here, they're happy, and I'm excited for them.

I love when my mom laughs. It's loud and boisterous and often evident that she just played a prank on someone!

Pawn came up a few days later so she could meet Don! All of us went shopping together to furnish her apartment (which will eventually furnish her new home in the future). It was a long afternoon but we had ended up with THE best deal for so much furniture! So satisfying.

Dan introduced don to Dr Pepper. There was no turning back after that. 

My mom put together a frame with pictures of Don's parents, blown up in black and white from a tiny wallet size that Don has carried around. He was really pleased.

On the 4th of July, we tried to escape the massive heat wave by hiking Mt Charleston. It was still pretty warm up there. But there were some breezy, shady sections that made us sigh with relief!

Our little Aiya, who insists on walking EVERYWHERE actually turned out to be quite the pansy! Dan had to carry her almost the whole time.

 

 After hiking we came home, took naps and then met up with Megan and Kroc for a quick dinner. Fireworks were enjoyed from our balcony, where many of our neighbors put on their annual show. it was nice not having to leave the house and find parking elsewhere, especially since Aiyana was terrified. We just let her watch Elmo on our bed. Elmo solves everything.